


One Tiny Thread of Light

by Khaelis



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Episode Fix-It: s02e13 Doomsday, Episode: s02e13 Doomsday, F/M, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-23 02:10:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11393187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khaelis/pseuds/Khaelis
Summary: What if Rose had managed to tie herself to the clamp?





	One Tiny Thread of Light

**Author's Note:**

> This work was written for the doctorroseprompts prompt: Rose ties herself to her clamp
> 
> A short fix-it story, because there can never be enough Doomsday fix-it fictions.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

* * *

 

 

Everything hurt. The eardrums that suffered the mad whistle of the wind that was bellowing around them and the cybernated cries of despair that erupted from the Daleks. The crook of the elbow she had tightly locked around the rod of the clamp. The left wrist that she clung to forcefully with her right fingers to keep her arms securely fastened around that tiny bit of metal. The muscles in her back that fought against the tremendous attraction of the centripetal force pulling her towards the window that had opened onto the void. The joints in her knees that protested against her vain attempts at remaining upright. Every single limb, every single bone, every single fibre in her body. They all hurt, and the hurt was growing worse with every second that slowly ticked away.

 

Her eyes met those of the Doctor, briefly, still long enough to see that her pain matched his. His usually soft features were now contorted into a hard grimace, his clenched teeth bared, the small dimples at the corner of his mouth more prominent than ever before. He had the advantage to have legs that could reach the base of the lever, offering him one more way to resist the onslaught of the angry tempest swallowed by the tear in the wall. It took her one more blink to see just how much he was struggling to fight the urge to reach out for her. How his fingers tentatively unwrapped from around his arm only to tighten again a fraction of a second later, because he feared three limbs wouldn't be enough to keep him anchored to the clamp. How his chin trembled and the column of his throat bobbed as if he was trying to call out to her. How he looked at her, his eyes screaming at her to hold on, _please hold on Rose, don't let go_ _._

 

But luck had never been on their side in this universe. She gasped when she heard the loud crackling from the lever behind her, and one look at the sparks that flared up at its base was enough to understand that it had stopped working. One look at the Doctor and his face frozen in the purest expression of horror she had ever seen was enough to know that they were doomed. That _she_ was doomed.

 

 _Offline_. The monotonous and dull voice from the computer said the one word that they both dreaded. The Doctor knew his Rose enough to realize that she would not let that happen. She would not let the rift close before every Dalek would have been sucked into the void. She would not allow them the extend their stay and give them a chance to wipe out the human race, wipe out her planet. Rose knew it too.

 

The pleading look and the almost imperceptible shake of the head the Doctor gave her would not stop her. She released her hold on the arm that was tightly locked around the clamp and extended her fingers towards the lever. Her arm was too short. Just a few inches could have made a difference, but it was too short. She would have to release the clamp and pray that she would find enough strength to push the lever back up before the rift could close. It was a suicide mission, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to take. Her life wasn't worth millions of others.

 

Slowly, she started to release her hold on the clamp, gathering what little was left of her strength and courage, ready to throw herself at the cursed lever that would probably signify her death sentence. She just had to ignore the Doctor and his despair, the cruel hurt and the ferocious terror written all over his face. She couldn't think about everything she wanted to tell him, everything she wished she'd been brave enough to confess. She had to focus on the task at hand. The blond strands of hair that whipped her cheeks and fell into her eyes had her shake her head on the side, just so she wouldn't be bothered by such a trivial thing when she'd finally launch herself at her target. And that when she caught a glimpse of it. The light bulb, hanging just behind her, swinging back and forth, following the violent movements of the gusts of wind. She'd have to be quick, but it gave her a chance. A single light that might save her.

 

She reorientated her body towards the bulb and reached out with her fingers. The hot glass that fell into the crook of her palm made a short sigh of relief escape her lips, but that relief was short-lived. A particularly harsh gush pushed her backwards again, and a mindless reflex had her fingers tighten around the only life-line she'd been offered. Blood trickled down her wrist as the bulb shattered into her hand, a dark purple shape growing on the sleeve of her bright blue woollen jacket. But she didn't let go. With a growl that transpired both pain and conviction, she tugged on the cable that was attached to the lamp cap. The metallic gutter that held the cable croaked in protest, but it wasn't solid enough to withstand the combined pull of her muscles and her body being pushed back by the wind. Soon, she had enough cable to start wrapping it around her waist. Tying a knot appeared to be a much tougher feat. Her fingers coated with fresh blood were slippery, not all of them were working properly – she was quite sure a tendon or two had been cut by the sharp edges of the glass shards – and the excruciating pain running through them made it almost impossible to be as precise as she needed to be. Still, she somehow managed to twine the cable through two belt hoops on her black trousers and to secure an uncouth knot that might last long enough.

 

Remained to rip the rest of the cable from its gutter. Time was running out, she could feel, she could hear the rift slowly closing, she needed to speed things up. The yell that left her lips as she used the last of her strength to pull on the cable made her throat burn, but it didn't matter. The cable snapped and she almost failed to cling to the clamp as the sudden lack of resistance sent her tumbling backwards. Almost. She hooked her arm around the rod of the clamp and she was quick to tie a second knot around it, quite unable to believe that fate might actually gift her with a blessed act of grace. It was a chance she couldn't waste.

 

She didn't even make sure that the knots would hold her weight. She simply let go of the clamp, only to let her body be carried by the wind, towards the lever. Her fingers found their way around the handle and her feet settled down on the floor. And she started to push. Her thighs, her calves, her arms had grown so weak because of her exertions, she couldn't tell if they were hurting or not anymore. All she could feel were the flames licking at her muscles, the heart that was hammering wildly against her ribcage, the sound of blood rushing in her ears, the wild pulsations of her brain that were steadily growing into a searing headache. And the lever, that was slowly, so slowly rising up again, crank by crank.

 

 _Online and locked_. If she'd had enough strength left in her, she might have smiled. But knowing that she had made it, feeling the relief flooding her veins, hearing the hisses of the Daleks flying past her was enough. She let go of the lever and closed her eyes.

 

 

*****

 

 

"That was reckless, and stupid, and _so_ reckless, Rose!"

 

 

Those were the first words she heard when she woke up. She wasn't sure if the voice had been a figment of her imagination or not. Her body was wrapped into something soft and warm, and she wondered for a second how she might have gotten there. She breathed in deeply and felt a sharp pain in her right side that ripped a weak groan from her lungs. A soothing hand immediately found its way to her cheek, a thumb brushing gentle circles against her cheekbone. She blinked several times so that her eyes could get used to the sudden brightness and after a moment, she was able to focus her look on his face. A face that was brightly smiling, despite the obvious trembling of his chin and the thin layer of tears that coated his eyes.

 

 

"What..." she started, having to clear her throat because her voice came out as broken and rough. "What happened?"

"You switched the lever back on, then you gave me a heart attack," he said with a sudden gravity, his smile vanishing from his face to be replaced by a grim expression. "You fainted. Then a Dalek crashed into you. I thought... I thought it'd killed you. Never been so scared in my whole life."

"I'm not dead, am I?" she managed to grin, giving the hand that was holding hers a squeeze.

"No," he confirmed with a small nod. "But what you did... It was stupid, Rose. So... So very stupid."

 

 

She didn't know what the feeling that shone in his eyes meant at that precise moment. But when his hand cradled her jaw with a bit more conviction and his face grew closer to hers, so close she could feel his lukewarm breath caress her skin and see the few lone tears that desperately hung to his eyelashes, she understood. She welcomed his lips against hers as if she'd always expected it to happen. There was no flutter of excitement, no pinch of worry that he might regret it later, no surge of desire nor any explosion of joy. Just the comfort that a simple kiss could bring and the silent confession that they'd both felt that way for so long that it didn't even feel as if it was the first they shared. The contact broke gently and the Doctor climbed onto the bed to lie next to her and bring her close to his chest.

 

 

"Don't ever do something like that again," he whispered against her temple as she wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Can't promise that," she mumbled into the crook of his neck.

"I know. Just... Try your best not to risk your life, then?"

"Only if you try your best, too," she smiled, clinging a bit more tightly to his shirt.

"Fair enough."

"How long before that deal gets thrown into a pit of oblivion?"

"I don't know. Two days? Three?"

"That's what I thought."

 

* * *

 


End file.
